Chris Cuomo suspended at CNN for helping governor brother during sexual harassment scandal
Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images Chris Cuomo
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been suspended indefinitely after new details came to light about how he helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as he faced sexual harassment allegations.
The network confirmed the news to EW and said in a statement Tuesday, "The New York Attorney General's office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions."
The statement continued: "When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother's staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation."
Chris Cuomo had previously defended his actions as a "brother," but new documents released this week suggested he was more involved in helping his sibling plot his defense against a series of misconduct allegations.
The documents also revealed that Chris sought to use his connections as a journalist to gain information from the press that might assist his brother.
Chris previously acknowledged that he had stopped giving his "take" on Andrew's affairs on air in May, at the request of CNN. He himself was also accused of sexual harassment by his former ABC boss, an incident which he acknowledged occurred but said was "not sexual in nature."
On Tuesday night, Anderson Cooper is slated to anchor Cuomo's usual 9 p.m. time slot.
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